From the Alps to Antarctica, “Melt” captures the beauty of Earth’s frozen landscapes and the people living among them.

The new film by visionary Austrian documentarian Nikolaus Geyrhalter completes an informal trilogy, following “Erde” (2019, about massive construction) and “Matter Out Of Place” (2022, about refuse disposal). In “Melt”, Geyrhalter considers snow.

Taking us to frigid climes around the world, including Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Antarctica and beyond, this third entry addresses issues similar to those of the previous ones but from a different angle. How do people live in snowbound areas? What are the mechanisms for simply moving snow around? How have ski resorts mechanised what ought to be a natural process? Above all, “Melt” shows us the catastrophic impact of climate change. Glaciers are melting; seasonal snowfall rates are askew; and at the South Pole, an entire continent is breaking apart. What will happen if all these places succumb to rising temperatures? As one scientist states, “that water has to go somewhere.”

A film of imposing beauty, “Melt” is also a comprehensive study of global warming as it is directly experienced by Arctic and alpine communities. Geyrhalter offers a stark warning about an ominous future, one we may still be able to avoid.